Reflection Definition and 966 Threads

When we talk about Snell's law, and total internal reflection in particular, we usually will draw diagrams as if light is coming off a point in a single, straight line (that bends at an interface, of course). My question is, though, how does this light behave when it's coming off an extended...

I'm guessing it has to do with electron excitation, and the release of EM waves when the electrons fall back to their ground state, but I am want to learn more about this in detail. I've barely covered Maxwell's Equations and optics in a lower division general physics course, so there's a whole...

Does total internal reflection happen with all types of waves, or just electromagnetic ones?

http://plc.cwru.edu/tutorial/enhanced/files/lc/phase/Graphics%5Cschem.BMP I was hoping someone could help me with understanding why a row of polarizes reflects a light wave when the whole row (the pitch P) is the same length as the wavelength of the light...

When a ray interacts with a solid if the surface is polished reflection occurs. This is true even if the material absorbs at the specific wave lenght? In other words if the material absorbs at the specific λ, can occurs Fresnel reflection ? Or: Fresnel reflection has always all the same λs of...

I am building an enclosure for my laser that emits at 1550nm. I need to integrate a window for the laser light to pass through. Anybody have any recommendations on what kind of glass would work best so that the optical losses are kept at a minimum? Ideally, it would be commercially available...

I was reading about a case of total internal reflection in mirrors and something got me curious... Is there anything such as 'weak refractions'?? In the diagram of the mirror I saw, as a ray of light from an object entered a mirror, it was reflected by the silver coating, and then by the...

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/9712/refractionk.jpg Now my understanding is that water slows down when it goes over a shallow area because the ground under the shallow water is interfering with the wave. When this happens the wave becomes more transverse which I guess is due to reflection as...

Homework Statement A radio-wave transmitter and a receiver, separated by a distance d = 50.0m, are both h = 35.0m above the ground. The receiver can receive signals directly from the transmitter and indirectly from signals that reflect from the ground. Assume the ground is level between the...

Homework Statement At the boundary between water (n=1.33) and flint glass (n=1.66), incoming light at ~49 degrees from the normal is refracted. Of course, I can use Snell's law to calculate the angle of refraction. However, my question is whether any of the light at this boundary is also...

Homework Statement This question is motivated by Problem 8, Ch 1 of Cohen-Tannoudji's "Quantum Mechanics". Suppose that you are given a two dimensional potential of the form V(x,y) = V if x>0 and V(x,y)=0 if x<0. A particle travels toward the the potential obliquely, i.e. neither parallel to...

can anyone explain for me :)? I have no idea:(

As I understand it, the absorption coefficient of a surface of material is the same as its emissivity (due to Kirchoff's law of thermal radiation), and that the net of this and the tranmissibility is emissivity + reflectivity + transmissibility = 1 Is this a general statement about...

Question: Does the law of specular reflection (angle in = angle out) for obliquely incident light rays still hold if the mirror is translating in a direction parallel to its normal direction? If not, what different effects attend said translation if a) the motion is toward or away from...

Hi, The textbook I am using does not clearly explain why certain objects reflect certain frequencies of color. If the frequency of light matches the frequency of the opaque object it is shined upon, will it be absorbed or reflected? I'm thinking that it may be absorbed for the same reason...

Colours of objects produced by light due to reflection & absorption! Hi fellow members! We know that colours of our surrounding things is due to the absorption & reflection of particular wavelength of light. But we also see same colours of objects in bulb light aur tube light. Do they also...

Homework Statement Given a plane \Pi with normal n=i-2j+k and a vector v=3i+4j-2k calculate the projection of v onto \Pi and the reflection of v with respect to \Pi. The Attempt at a Solution I need to check that I'm doing this is right. I think I need v - (v \cdot n)n =...

A plane wave normally incident onto a perfectly conductive surface moving in the normal direction with constant velocity comparable to the speed of light. How do I solve such problem? If I treat the conductor as static, and the source of plane wave as a moving source, do I only need to consider...

1. For the following matrix, determine whether it is a translation, rotation, mirror reflection, or a glide reflection and find its fixed points and stable lines. Homework Equations Given the matrix D= .8, .6, 2 .6, -.8, 1 0, 0, 1 The Attempt at a Solution First I got...

Is this process known as "total internal reflection"? Or is it called something else? What is the name of this process that causes the entire material to light up even though the light is applied only to one side? Take a look at the photos so you can see what I am asking about. Notice how...

I've been reading over Balanis' Advanced Engineering Electromagnetics in an effort to teach myself a bit about Electromagnetism. I've stumbled across a question (not one in the book) that I can't seem to wrap my head around. If there's a lossy dielectric or medium, how does the reflection...

For a wave traveling from a medium with refractive index n1 to n2 with n2 > n1, the amplitude reflection coefficient is given by: r = (n2 - n1)/(n2 + n1) Consider a beam of light passing through a single pane of glass. There is a reflection at the front surface of the pane, with the...

Homework Statement The figure below shows a ray of light entering one end of an optical fiber at an angle of incidence i = 51.0°. The index of refraction of the fiber is 2.05. Diagram link: http://www.webassign.net/walker/26-55.gif (a) Find the angle the ray makes with the normal when...

I am seeking to understand reflection groups and am reading Grove and Benson: Finite Reflection Groups On page 6 (see attachment - pages 5 -6 Grove and Benson) we find the following statement: "It is easy to verify (Exercise 2.1) that the vector x_1 = (cos \ \theta /2, sin \ \theta /2 )...

Hello guys, I want to compute reflected pressures in Mach reflection region. In Mach reflection, let's just think about the reflected, incident and merged pressures (of Mach stem). You know, the merged pressure is created by coalescing the incident and reflected pressures. Assuming that all...

Homework Statement When light reflects from a thin film back toward the source, what is the path length difference? The Attempt at a Solution A. It is equal to twice the thickness of the film. B. It is equal to the thickness of the film. C. It is equal to half the thickness of the...

Homework Statement I have a final coming up and I am a bit fuzzy on how to create a matrix that represents a rotation or reflection about a certain plane (in R3). Say we are given a rotation/reflection about either a plane or a line through two points T(v)=Av and we are told to find A. Do we...

Homework Statement A randomly polarized beam of light hits a water surface at Brewster angle. What is the intensity of the transmitted and reflected beams? The refractive index of water is n = 1.33 Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Since the light is randomly polarised...

Homework Statement Find the lowest angle of θ1 given the apex angle is 60°. Air (n=1) is on the outside and inside (n=1.5) ϕ is defined as 60 degrees. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution θc = sin-1(\frac{1.00}{1.50}) = 41.81° To my understanding, θ1 must...

Hello all I know that polarisation of light can occur from reflection, and when the reflected ray is 90degrees from the refracted ray the relfected light is 100% plane polarised. So, my question is why is it that reflection causes polarisation of light? Thanks

if a beam of light originates at point 1 aimed at point 4 will it reflect to point 2 then and point 8? as in the diagram? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enneagram_of_Personality

The following reffers to the reflection of waves at a discontinuity. (incident, reflected, and transmitted waves) Homework Statement (a) Simplify Aicos(k1x-wt)+Arcos(k1x+wt) = Atcos(k2x-wt) by eliminating common trig factors (recall cos(-θ)=cos(θ)), and dividing terms by Ai to express the...

Does the light stop and turn back or does it interact with the surface and make a u turn.

I am reading Kane's book on Reflections and Reflection Groups and am having difficulties with some basic geometric notions - see attachment Kane paes 6-7. On page 6 in section 1-1 Reflections and Reflection Groups (see attachment) we read: " We can define reflections either with respect to...

I am reading Kane - Reflection Groups and Invariant Theory and need help with two of the properties of reflections stated on page 7 (see attachment - Kane _ Reflection Groups and Invariant Theory - pages 6-7) On page 6 Kane mentions he is working in \ell dimensional Euclidean space ie...

Homework Statement R is a rotation around the origin by ∏/4, G is a glide reflection; the reflection is across y=x and the glide is by (2,2). Find the compositions R°G and G°R and characterize them. If you find a glide reflection, specify both the mirror line and the "glide" vector...

Homework Statement A large cube of glass has a metal reflector on one face and water on an adjoining face (the figure). A light beam strikes the reflector, as shown. You observe that as you gradually increase the angle of the light beam, if Theta is greater than 58.7 no light enters the water...

Homework Statement Find the coordinates of reflection of the point P (4,8) in the line y=-3/2 x + 14 Homework Equations y= -3/2x + 14 The Attempt at a Solution find a point on the line?

If a surface is perceived as being white because it reflects all wavelenghts of visible electromagnetic radiation, how does this differ from a mirror surface which also reflects all impinging light? How is a mirror different from a white surface i) optically and ii) at the level of condensed...

Hello, I am looking at the following calculation for the reflection coefficient of a transmission line using the formula ((ZL - ZO) / (ZL +ZO) I can understand it all apart from the last part (0.355e^j). Can someone please tell me how that figure was gained from (-0.354 + 0.030j) (216 + j15...

Hi I have build a setup where there are two RC motors to drive a mirror which is 2 dimensional. I have been thinking to write a program in Arduino such that after tracking (from solar tracker which i already made) the sunlight , the mirror should always be reflecting on a desired angle no...

Homework Statement A 45,45,90 glass triangular prism (n=1.52) is surrounded by air. If a light ray comes into one of the legs (not hypotenuse) at a right angle which legs have total internal reflection?Homework Equations n_1sinx_i=n_2sinx_r The Attempt at a Solution i figured out that the...

Optics -- Reflection of image from a moving mirror I have a dufficult question which I couldn't find an answer to, yet: If I am standing in front of a mirror - I can see my image, naturally. Now, let's say that the mirror is actually a very long train and it moves parallel to me . And...

Homework Statement write pressure radiation for reflection in terms of force and area Homework Equations pradiation(reflection)=2I/c p=F/A The Attempt at a Solution pradiationreflection=2F/A is that correct? (im fairly certain I've solved this correctly but i just wanted to check)

Hello all, Homework Statement We can represent a mechanical transverse wave by Y=Asin(kx-wt+∅). Now imagine this wave traveling (towards right as velocity is positive) and meeting up with two cases Case 1) Rigid wall. Case 2) Free end. The way gets reflected completely( ignoring transmission...

Consider the potential V(x) = \begin{cases} 0, & x < -a & (I) \\ +W, & -a < x < a & (II) \\ 0, & x > a & (III) \end{cases} for a particle coming in from the left (-\infty) with energy E (0 < E < W). Give the solution to the Schrodinger equation for I, II and III and use these to...

Homework Statement The following table gives some specific acoustic impedances Tissue or Medium Specific acoustic impedance Air 0.00044 x 10^6 Fat 1.38 x 10^6 Water 1.5 x 10^6 Brain 1.58 x 10^6 Blood 1.59...

Homework Statement As the sun rises over a still pond, an angle will be reached where its image seen on the water's surface(n=1.33) will be completely polarized in a plan parallel to the surface. i) Compute the appropriate incident angle(that is the polarization or Brewster's angle)...

Linear Algebra Preliminaries in "Finite Reflection Groups In the Preliminaries to Grove and Benson "Finite Reflection Groups' On page 1 (see attachment) we find the following: "If \{ x_1 , x_2, ... x_n \} is a basis for V, let V_i be the subspace spanned by \{ x_1, ... , x_{i-1} ...

I am reading Grove and Benson's book on Finite Reflection Groups and am struggling with some of the basic linear algebra. Some terminology from Grove and Benson: V is a real Euclidean vector space A transformation of V is understood to be a linear transformation The group...